I love A Course in Miracles because it’s a mind-training system that really works. It has really worked for me – and it continues to bring me benefits every day. And, right now, I feel such a deepening happening. A greater willingness than ever before is coming forth in my heart.

In the 5-Day Challenge this past week, I was talking about “surrender” being my word for the year. We had a whole conversation about what surrender meant. It means to give ones self over, to yield, and that can be vastly different experiences in different situations.

There’s surrender in a battle or fight, which is giving up and becoming under the power of another, and that could feel degrading
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There’s surrender in a sexual sense – to give ones self over and surrendering to the melding of that intimacy and connection, which could feel absolutely blissful.

And then, there’s surrender to Spirit, which, to me, is a re-connection with Source, a return to perfection and right-mindedness – a giving up of the need to feel separate and special.

The word “surrender” is not in A Course in Miracles, and yet what I find so appealing right now is to surrender all the ways in which I keep separation going, to make a holy offering of them, and simply follow the instruction in A Course in Miracles, and to keep my attention on this intention.

In the last 10 years, I’ve connected with at least 50,000 people who are interested in ACIM. Many have been studying it far longer than I have, and yet I’ve received so many emails from people who have been studying ACIM between 10 and 30 years and they’re so excited because now they’re learning how to HOW to live A Course in Miracles and it’s such a difference.

Studying something and applying it are vastly different things.

Living it really does require that we surrender, or give up, the meaning we’ve made of things so we can realize what things are really for and discover the Peace and the Harmony that has always been there, just beyond our vain imaginings.

That’s what I’m interested in focusing on, surrendering the vain imaginings and and living the truth that sets us free. I’m inviting you to consider a new approach to your spiritual life this year. Consider focusing on living it, day by day, in a non-intellectual, truly heart-felt way. Studying the truth doesn’t set us free. Living the truth is liberation!

One of my favorite passages in the Course that lit me up when I first read it is this, (T-18.VII.4.)

This course … aims at saving time. You may be attempting to follow a very long road to the goal you have accepted. It is extremely difficult to reach Atonement by fighting against sin. Enormous effort is expended in the attempt to make holy what is hated and despised.

Nor is a lifetime of contemplation and long periods of meditation aimed at detachment from the body necessary. All such attempts will ultimately succeed because of their purpose.

Yet the means are tedious and very time consuming, for all of them look to the future for release from a state of present unworthiness and inadequacy.

Your way will be different, not in purpose but in means. A holy relationship is a means of saving time.

I love this passage because it reminds us that we’re already as holy as holy can be. We cannot become more holy. We’re already there, and we’ll know it if we’re willing to “release from a state of present unworthiness” now. This now. What’s the mechanism that helps us the most? Holy relationship as a spiritual practice.

Let’s make this the year of HOLY RELATIONSHIP.

Life becomes a truly beautiful journey when we call Spirit to make our relationships holy, and then actually allow it to be revealed to us. The transformation is so profoundly beautiful it’s breath-taking, in part because it’s available to ALL of us. It’s not only for some special monk on a mountaintop, it’s for everyone.

It took me a long time to realize that my willingness was often best demonstrated when I could surrender the need to be right and to make others wrong. Letting that need go, I could see how much I had cherished my separateness. I could feel how attached I was to the idea that I was unworthy of Love. I had to let go of my attachment to these beliefs about myself in order to see what’s available to all of us is our own perfection revealed in our minds.

And that awareness, that no matter how far we’d fallen in the past, no matter how unloving we’ve been in the past, that there is a great Love that is ours to share – is profoundly healing. Our willingness is all that’s required.

Consider Jenni, who lives in Ireland. I remember we spoke 1 on 1 right before Christmas at the end of 2016 (I have 1 on 1 check-in sessions throughout the year for those in Masterful Living with me – and here’s what she told me – (I had her write it down so I could share with you.)

Dear Jennifer,

Thank you so much for your invitation to join the most beautiful community and have the most transformative year of my Life! When I was reading other people’s testimonies this time last year, I was hesitant to believe that I could experience such miraculous things in my Life but I felt drawn to Masterful Living. Now that I have walked through this year with You all, I am just so incredibly grateful for how much amazing change has occurred. My therapist hadn’t seen me in a year and she was stunned and taken back at the difference in my Presence.

I feel so much lighter, happier, grateful and energetic. My body functions much better and I feel healthy and vibrant. I feel confident and successful. I feel so grateful to be alive every day and wake up excited for what a new day will bring. My attitude to Life has radically transformed. I am not so afraid and I relax more. I have faith now that I am supported, I am never alone and that I am able for anything life brings my way.

The transformation also shows on the outside – especially in my workplace. I was so stressed out and miserable in work and now I am so grateful for my job, I love my colleagues and I love my clients. I am open to receiving what my job does offer me and I am not so focused on what I think it lacks. This is such a relief and brings me so much Joy to be helpful instead of complaining all the time!

Doing the inner work has changed all areas of my Life – relationships with my parents, siblings, husband, friends and with my finances. I am so excited to continue with ML 2 and deepen my capacity for Love. I feel excited for the future, which used to scare me. I now know the goodness of Life. I now live in a world of possibilities instead of living in a world full of what I don’t have. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing the benefits of your healing with us all! This year has been the best year of my Life. Now, I love my Life and I am ready for next year to be even more loving!

Wishing you a Happy and Beautiful Christmas full of Joy and Receiving!

Love Love Love,Jenni

I didn’t edit one word of that. That’s exactly as Jenni gave it to me.

AND – most importantly – a year before that, she didn’t feel confident she had what it took to change her life. One year prior, she was concerned that my Masterful Living wouldn’t work for her, that she didn’t have what it took, that she might give up or fail. Sound familiar?

Can you feel the POWER of an EFFECTIVE spiritual practice transforming Jenni’s life?

Studying spiritual teachings and living them are two different things. We’ve been talking about that this past week in the 5-Day Challenge.

We can study until we have memorized the teachings, but that won’t heal our relationships. I learned that the hard way. Ugh. I studied for 20 years and still felt unworthy!

When we’re actually willing to focus even a little attention on changing your mind throughout the day, your whole life begins to transform in miraculous ways. That’s the power of living it.

This is our year to really live it.

Even if we think we don’t have what it takes, we do, that’s the lesson I’ve learned, and Jenni’s learned and many of us are learning together.

Here’s the thing — Jenni didn’t do it on her own. She let Spirit in. And she got support from our community. She became more willing and more receptive and the support really made a difference for her, as it does for all of us.

We all have a lot more support available to us than we realize, and, unfortunately, many spiritual students are absolutely convinced that it’s better for them to do it on their own. This was a big issue for me and I see it in many.

Jenni invested herself in spiritual practice – some days more, some days less, but her spiritual practice is her whole life – it’s how she does everything – that’s what makes it so effective. And she knows that now.

I’ve known MANY people who meditate an hour a day and don’t have the kind of results in a decade that Jenni had in JUST ONE YEAR. Truly. Why? Because they’re not doing the mind-training during the day, when things come up and challenge them. And that’s what ACIM is all about – we must actually DO the work at the level of the mind, not just read about it. We don’t study ACIM, we live it in order to really walk the talk and live the Love.

It takes a village.
A holy relationship village.

I’ve learned that it really does make a HUGE difference when we have a community and that’s why I LOVE being part of a global community of like-minded souls. This past week during the 5-Day Challenge was a perfect example.

I’ve been in spiritual community for 30 years and I’ve never experienced anything like what we have in MasterfulLiving because we’re all focused on actively transforming, actively being loving, actively changing our minds. It’s a group energy.

The main thing I’d like you to take from this message today is that YOU have everything it takes within you. If you’re intent on transformation you will be transformed. That’s what it says in the passage I quoted earlier. If you’re intent on having healing you will be healed because the willingness is there. It’s miraculous! It blows my hair back again and again when I hear people’s miraculous stories!

And, remember that ACIM passage also says that many people take the long way around, when they don’t have to. There are expedient methods. That’s what we do when we apply the fundamentals of ACIM to really live it and embody it, the healing happens with amazing speed. Our joy returns.

Consider how MUCH transformation Jenni had in JUST ONE YEAR! It’s A LOT, and yet, I see people experience this year after year – (I’ve been offering Masterful Living for 11 years) spiraling upward. There’s no limit.

The main thing is to make a real change this year.

Masterful Living Course 2019 Registration closes TOMORROW, Monday, January 14 at midnight Pacific.
Now is the time to lay your foundation – there’s so much that we can call forth when we choose to live as though our mind really is the mind of God. Make this year the year you go for it! Gather support, have a strong intention. You don’t need my help, but if you’d like it, here’s how to begin:

If Masterful Living is right for you, I trust you will know it when you read what I’ve written on my website.

Trust your intuition – it will not fail you.
If this feels like it MIGHT be the thing for you this year – follow through.

I would LOVE to have the opportunity to walk step-by-step with you this year if you’d like to join us!

BTW, most participants find that relationship healing is the #2 result they have during the year. The #1 result is a closer connection to Spirit and a basic spiritual practice that really works for them. We don’t study ACIM in MasterfulLiving – we LIVE it. That’s our focus. Really truly living it – and you don’t have to even own a copy of the book to learn to live it. Of course you don’t need my help, but if you think you might be interested in doing it WITH me this year, or even just giving it a try, there’s 1 day left!!! Registration is closing tomorrow for Masterful Living!

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